


Le Velo Pour Deux

by Violet_showstopper



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: M/M, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-10-26 10:13:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20740541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Violet_showstopper/pseuds/Violet_showstopper
Summary: Yes, the two had fallen in bed with each other over and over. They’d married, and divorced, and remarried over and over. But this...This fluttering in his chest, the wanting was different. The absolute yearning was something that made him feel, not just weak, but vulnerable.Arthur faces the fact that he's in love.





	Le Velo Pour Deux

Arthur swallowed thickly, his heart beating loudly in his ears. In his hands, he carried a small stack of papers he had to deliver to Francis. Personally. In person. Now that wasn’t that big of a deal, usually. But due to unforeseen circumstances, Arthur found himself stupid in love with Francis. 

It was incredibly embarrassing.

Ever since he realized that, he had gone out of his way not to hang around Francis, not to speak with him. He could tell that it was upsetting the Frenchman, but Francis would just have to deal with it until Arthur stopped behaving like such a ditz around him. Dropping papers and blushing, stuttering like an idiot. It was all too much for him. And the thought of actually getting close to him was much scarier.

Yes, the two had fallen in bed with each other over and over. They’d married, and divorced, and remarried over and over. But this...This fluttering in his chest, the  _ wanting  _ was different. The absolute yearning was something that made him feel, not just weak, but vulnerable. 

So there he stood, in front of the closed door to Francis’ office. His heart pounded in his ears, hands almost shaking. It took him a moment, but eventually he mustered up the courage to knock. 

“Come in.” 

With a sigh he steeled himself and stepped into the room, door clicking shut behind him. 

“I came to deliver these,” he mumbled, looking down at his feet as he headed across the room. “They’re from my boss. Trading stuff.” 

He didn’t let Francis respond before he turned and swiftly began to walk out, wanting to end this interaction as soon as possible. But what he got, instead, was Francis quickly crossing the room and stepping in front of him- blocking the door. 

“That’s all you have to say to me?” Francis’ voice was tense and hurt. It made him wince away.

“Yes, now if you’ll excuse me, I have somewhere to be.”

“That can wait.” 

“Francis, I-” Arthur’s breath caught, feeling the other blond’s hand close around his wrist, officially trapping him there in the small office. It was so much, all of it was so much. Even now, Arthur couldn’t help but note the softness of Francis’ hands, the way his thumb pressed against his pulse at his wrist  _ bump bump bump  _ under his fingers. The blonde curls framing Francis’ face, soft curls touching his cheek. The concerned look on his face.

“Tell me what’s wrong, dear…” Francis’ voice was quiet but felt like a spell over Arthur, he felt like his body was shaking as he stood there still. He couldn’t look at Francis anymore, looking over to a dust bunny in the corner.

_ Francis needs to clean his office.  _ He thought distantly, briefly imagining him busying himself with cleaning, nagging Francis as he worked at his desk. The thought made his skin burn. 

“...thur? Arthur? Look at me.” And there was his other hand, touching his face so gently. After all these years, those hands were still so smooth. No war, no sword, no scrape against the concrete had managed to damage him. Arthur was envious. 

“I can’t.” Arthur choked out, pulling his face away from his touch, his face suddenly cold where it was once warm. “I can’t look at you.” 

“Please…” The tenderness, the vulnerability in his voice wrenched Arthur’s heart. He couldn’t understand it, how Francis could be so open and so  _ okay  _ with it. How he managed living with his heart on his sleeve all the time. 

“No. It’s too- I can’t look at you.” 

“Well. I’m certainly not talking to you if you aren’t even going to look at me,  _ Angleterre _ .” And there was the exasperation, making Arthur squeeze his eyes shut. 

“First you want to talk to me, and now you want me to look at you?” 

“Oh, am I asking too much from you, Arthur? Is it too much to want to know what’s wrong? To want to know why you’ve been avoiding me, why you can’t even look me in the face?” Francis tugged, and Arthur stumbled forwards a bit, closer to Francis. He couldn’t speak, feeling tears bubble in the back of his throat.    
“Please.  _ Please.  _ Just look at me. Talk to me. What have I done? Did I hurt you?” 

“No!” Arthur said quickly, shaking his head. He spared a glance up, meeting Francis’ deep blue eyes, seeing that they were damp at the corners. The Englishman swallowed thickly, pushing down the way his heart flipped in his chest. Slowly, he reached past Francis, flicking the lightswitch and casting the room into darkness.Finally, Arthur could breath. Some light flickered in from the light posts outside, but not enough to illuminate the room. Even when his eyes adjusted, he could only see the outline of Francis against the wall. 

“I..I just can’t look at you,” he said, taking a shaky breath. “It’s too...I can’t…” 

His mouth was dry, and he could feel his hand shaking slightly. He could hear Francis’ breath in the darkness, coming out softly. The man began to speak, and Arthur hushed him quickly. He had to think about the right thing to say. The crinkle of Francis’ eyes, or his confidence...The way he was willing to come back to Arthur again and again and never turned him away when Arthur would eventually show up again at his door. The crying, the hand holding. The soft whispers in the dark. The  _ now,  _ Arthur thinking of the right words to confess with Francis inches from him, but still too close, too open. 

“I’m in love with you.” Arthur blurted, his face fire. He felt so stupid, so cliche. It wasn’t like they hadn’t said it to each other before, in the past, but this was way different, somehow. 

He heard Francis hesitate, the grip on his wrist loosening for a moment. “Arthur..” he started in a voice that very much sounded like  _ I don’t know how to tell you this, but... _

“Be quiet.” And Francis was quiet.

“I’m in love with you,” Arthur said again, looking up in the darkness even though he couldn’t see the other’s face. “That’s...That’s why I’ve been avoiding you. It’s been all too much, I felt- I feel like I can’t even look at you properly without getting all flustered like a silly schoolgirl. It makes me feel sick. I love you so much, it’s so...hard for me to be around you. I just want to be with you all the time, but it’s so overwhelming. You know how I...The intimacy is very...Well..”

Francis’ hand was cupping his face again. He didn’t pull away. 

“You’re such a romantic…” Francis whispered, and Arthur could hear the smile in his voice. 

“Maybe so.” 

His heart was beating so hard in his ears, in his chest. 

“I’m in love with you too.” 

Arthur quieted. While the response wasn’t a surprise, something about the way it was said almost made him choke up again. 

“Well…Good. Or else I’d feel like a right arse mooning over you.” 

Francis’ laughter sounded like bells. And then he was being kissed.

**Author's Note:**

> this has been sitting in my drafts for a while now lol


End file.
